Video

An Invitation to Study at Zaytuna College

An Invitation to Study at Zaytuna College Date: January 25, 2020

Rules of Engagement

Date: August 15, 2019

Rules of Engagement | Hamza Yusuf, Salam Al-Marayati, Qamar-ul Huda & Hala Hijazi

The engagement of Muslim leaders and organizations with political authorities has provoked passionate criticism of late. All minorities, including Muslims, face a series of questions in working for change. What exactly is the change we want to bring about? What is our “theory of change”—or, how does change happen? What is the most effective way to influence political authority? On what basis do we engage with political authorities that are morally compromised? Can supporters of the same cause pursue different avenues—engagement, lobbying, protests, boycotts, political participation, and so on—without undermining one another?

In this compelling discussion, the panelists—Hamza Yusuf, Salam Al-Marayati, Qamar ul-Huda, and Hala Hijazi—share their thoughts on the benefits of engagement and respond to some criticisms. They also reflect on past moments of engagement in times of consequence for the American Muslim community, such as the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Iraq. This thought-provoking conversation doesn’t shy away from difficult questions (including one from an audience member), and we hope it can help all of us think more deeply about how our collective efforts can serve common goals.

MODERATOR

Hala Hijazi has extensive public service and government affairs experience and currently serves as a San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner and on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Interfaith Council. She also chairs the AMEMSA Advisory Boards for San Francisco’s mayor, district attorney, and police chief.

SPEAKERS

Qamar-ul Huda, a religious scholar and formerly a senior advisor on religious matters to the United States Department of State, focuses on American foreign policy, the Middle East and South Asia, and conflict resolution at the Center for Global Policy.

Salam Al-Marayati, president and co-founder of the  Muslim Public Affairs Council and an expert on Islam and contemporary political issues, oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy work.

Hamza Yusuf, president and co-founder of Zaytuna College, is a long-standing proponent of classical learning in Islam and has served as an advisor to a number of governments and political leaders, educational institutions, and NGOs.

Book Promo: The Art of Persuasion

Date: July 3, 2019

The Power of Powerlessness

Date: June 4, 2019

An Islamic Case for Pluralism, Equal Citizenship, and Religious Freedom

Date: March 11, 2019

Pepperdine University School of Law

The End of Hope : Chris Hedges, Zaid Shakir, and Hamza Yusuf in Conversation

Date: January 4, 2019

Selections from an event called ‘The End of Hope’ that took place on September 9th, 2018 at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California.

America, says Pulitzer Prize­-winning writer Chris Hedges in his new book America: The Farewell Tour, is convulsed by an array of pathologies—the opioid crisis, pervasive economic distress, our pornified culture, a plague of suicides, and more—that have arisen out of profound hopelessness, a bitter despair, and a civil society that has ceased to function. In the face of such devastation, what remains of hope? And, as human beings, do we possess the capacity within ourselves to transcend our circumstances? A thought-provoking conversation with Chris Hedges, Zaid Shakir, and Hamza Yusuf about hope, despair, and the future of our nation.

Islam’s Universal Values for Humanity

Date: November 8, 2018

MUIS Academy 50th Anniversary
Singapore. November, 2018

MUIS Academy 2018 Singapore

Date: November 8, 2018

Zaytuna College Master’s Program Convocation

Date: September 1, 2018

Living Links: The Concept of Isnad

Date: July 24, 2018

The Art and Artifice of Poetry

Date: June 12, 2018

Hamza Yusuf and Scott Crider meet at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California to explore the function and finer details of poetry in our time. Scott F. Crider is a professor of English at the University of Dallas, Constantin College of Liberal Arts. He has published extensively on the works of William Shakespeare and maintains the English Renaissance as one of his major research interests. His other academic interests include ancient and modern rhetorical tradition, the history and character of liberal education, and the English-language Bible as literature. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside.

What Conservatism Really Means – Roger Scruton in Conversation with Hamza Yusuf

Date: June 5, 2018

Roger Scruton and Hamza Yusuf meet in the library of Zaytuna College to have a wide-ranging discussion on the true meaning of conservatism. Roger Scruton is philosopher of politics and aesthetics. He has authored more than fifty books on culture, philosophy, and religion, including A Dictionary of Political Thought and How to Be a Conservative. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Cambridge in 1972 and is currently pursuing his interest in the philosophy of music. He is a Fellow of the Humanities Research Institute and Course Director of the M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Buckingham. Hamza Yusuf is a leading proponent of classical learning in Islam. He is president of Zaytuna College, and has taught courses on Islamic jurisprudence, ethics, astronomy, logic, theology, prophetic biography, and hadith, as well as other subjects. He has published numerous articles and translations, including The Prayer of the Oppressed and Purification of the Heart. He also serves as vice president for the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, an international initiative that seeks to address the root causes that can lead to radicalism and militancy.

Produced and edited by Imran Ali Malik

Set direction: Haroon Sellars and Tefari Casis

Additional production help: Safir Ahmed and Najeeb Hasan

Sacred Truths in a Profane World | Hamza Yusuf & Roger Scruton

Date: April 23, 2018

After British political philosopher Roger Scruton delivered an address at Zaytuna College urging religious communities to offer a political vision that centralizes the sacred, he sat down with Hamza Yusuf (Editor-in-Chief of Renovatio/President of Zaytuna College) for a stimulating discussion on how faith communities can engage in the civic life of broader society.

This video captures the essence of that discussion, which was recorded at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA on April 23, 2018.

With God on Our Side? Part 1

Date: March 17, 2018

Hamza Yusuf’s opening remarks at Renovatio event “With God on Our Side? Islam & the Question of Pluralism.” March 17, 2018. Zaytuna College, Berkeley, CA. In an age characterized by an overall assault on religious practices and Abrahamic morality, Muslims would do well to have greater tolerance for, and to even cooperate with, those who are close to us in our beliefs and values. This also poses challenging questions: What choices of individual conscience should Muslim theology accommodate? How was kufr understood in the Islamic tradition? Does radical pluralism become a type of relativism?

With God on Our Side?

Date: March 17, 2018

In an age characterized by an overall assault on religious practices and Abrahamic morality, Muslims would do well to have greater tolerance for, and to even cooperate with, those who are close to us in our beliefs and values. This also poses challenging questions: What choices of individual conscience should Muslim theology accommodate? How was kufr understood in the Islamic tradition? Does radical pluralism become a type of relativism? A lively and informative conversation between three scholars—Hamza Yusuf, Maria Dakake, and Andrew March—working in the frontiers of this emerging discussion. Moderated by Safir Ahmed, editor of Renovatio.

The Power of Faith – World Economic Forum 2018

Date: January 27, 2018

What faith-based narratives have the potential to emphasize the value of pluralism while promoting a sense of belonging and unity?

2017 Templeton Prize Ceremony for Dr. Alvin Plantinga

Date: September 26, 2017

Philosopher Alvin Plantinga was awarded the 2017 Templeton Prize for his rigorous writings over a half century. Three scholars on whom the influence of Alvin Plantinga has been profound celebrated his work: Dr. Hamza Yusuf, president of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college; Dr. Yoram Hazony, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem; and Dr. Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.

Ramadan Reflections: Laylatul Qadr

Date: June 22, 2017

Zaytuna College – Ramadan Reflections: Laylatul-Qadr

Ramadan Reflections with Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali

Date: June 22, 2017

The Lamppost “Ramadan Reflections” series with a special presentation featuring Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali.

The Roots of Our Crises

Date: June 6, 2017

Speech given by editor-in-chief, Hamza Yusuf, at the Renovatio Launch Event on May 14th at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA.

Overcoming Echo Chambers: Can Muslims and Christians Get Along in America?

Date: May 15, 2017

Overcoming Echo Chambers: Can Muslims and Christians Get Along in America? An evening with Princeton Law Professor and Christian intellectual Robert George and Zaytuna College President and Islamic scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Moderated by Trae Stephens, Partner at Founders Fund.

Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah at SAIS, Johns Hopkins

Date: February 7, 2017

Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah at SAIS, Johns Hopkins
Translated by Hamza Yusuf

Can Women Have It All? WEF 2017

Date: January 21, 2017

Can Women Have It All? WEF 2017 Date: January 21, 2017 Can Women Have It All? A roundtable at WEF Davos 2017.

The Great American Divide – WEF 2017

Date: January 20, 2017

The Great American Divide with Hamza Yusuf A roundtable discussion at the World Economic Forum, Davos 2017. “In the aftermath of a divisive election season, how can the United States be reunited?”

On Contact: The Perversion of Islam with Hamza Yusuf

Date: October 25, 2016

On this week’s episode of On Contact, Chris Hedges explores Islam and the Muslim world with Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College. Yusuf, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars in the U.S., discusses the disenfranchisement of Muslim youths and the perversion of Islam by terror groups.

The Secular and the Sacred in Higher Education with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf & Dr. John Sexton

Date: September 28, 2016

The annual Fritzi Weitzmann Owens Memorial Lecture: The Secular and the Sacred in Higher Education: A Conversation with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. John Sexton, moderated by Rev. Dr. Serene Jones. Presented by the Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at NYU, the Islamic Center at NYU, and the New York Community Trust. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is an American-Muslim Scholar and President of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim undergraduate college in the United States. The New Yorker Magazine called him “perhaps the most influential Islamic scholar in the Western World.” He has authored several encyclopedia articles, research articles, and published books, including “Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart” (Starlatch, 2004). Dr. John Sexton is an American scholar of Law and Religion and served as the15th President of New York University from 2002-2015. During his presidency, NYU was named the “number one dream school” four times by the Princeton Review. As president, Sexton taught a seminar on the Supreme Court’s church and state cases, and a popular course called “Baseball as a Road to God,” which is also the title of his book (Gotham, 2013). Moderator Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is a highly respected scholar and public intellectual. Rev. Dr. Jones is the 16th President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 180-year-old institution, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy. She is also currently the President of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Rev. Dr. Jones is the author of several books, including Trauma and Grace (Westminster, 2009). Recorded on 27 September 2016

Abrahamic Faith in the “Age of Feeling” – Princeton University

Date: September 26, 2016

Abrahamic Faith in the “Age of Feeling” – Professor Robert George and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

On Gratitude

Date: July 7, 2016

A powerful sermon on the essential role of gratitude in the life of a believer.

The Blessing of Gratitude

Date: June 3, 2016

A sermon on the essential role of gratitude in the spiritual life of a believer.

Zaytuna College Commencement 2016

Date: May 26, 2016

What Makes Life Worth Living?

Date: April 30, 2016

“We can’t determine our circumstances but we can determine our responses to those circumstances. What we do with those circumstances will determine the merit of our character. We are commanded and challenged by God to exert our efforts to work within our circumstances to make ‘The Good Life’ possible.”

On April 7, Hamza Yusuf sat down with Dr. Miroslav Volf, professor of Theology at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in a follow up conversation on ‘A Life Worth Living’. The conversation took place at the Yale University Broadcast Studio.

A Muslim Vision of a Life Worth Living: An Evening with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Date: April 7, 2016

This video presents Hamza Yusuf’s opening remarks as well as a conversation with Miroslav Volf, Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Culture. They engaged in an inter-tradition conversation about the good life—what it is, how we can get it, and how we can realize it together.

MMAC: Medicine and Islam – A Holistic Approach to Healthcare

Date: March 28, 2016

Medicine and Islam – A Holistic Approach to Healthcare by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Keynote Address on January 1, 2016